Myrtlemond

Sooo.....
We just got back from our trip to Myrtle Beach/ Richmond, and the Minor League All-Star game. Yes, there was baseball, but there was other goodness too. Myrtle Beach is known for its massive amount of top-notch golf courses. What you don't really hear about, however, is the mass amount of miniature golf courses. AMAZING miniature golf courses. This first picture is the course we chose to play over those on the north, east, and south side of the same intersection.

The other spat of coolness was Hard Rock Park, where the All-Star gala was the night before the game. There was the "Whac a Boy Band" game, the whirling taxi cabs in the land called "British Invasion", and the Hard Rock VW Bus (documented here for my sister). I did have to explain to Derrel what "Abbey Road" was, but if there's no fiddle or verses about tractors, D can't be held responsible for his musical knowledge. Then of coures, the Waffle House. I realize this is not just an East Coast phenomena, but we didn't really have anything smothered in gravy all week, so we had to make up for it somewhere.

And lastly, the Richmond Braves. When we popped into Richmond, we took in a minor league game up there. They have this statue climbing out of their concourse.

It only graced my dreams for a few consecutive nights thereafter.

LA Times, is that You?

As everyone is well aware, same-sex marriages were legal as of 5:01 yesterday afternoon. It is, of course, what everyone is talking about this morning. Though not a reporter for the paper, the LA Times voluntarily published a piece that I was surprised to see on its pages.

Truth and Grace.

So now that I share an office, my coworker and I often chit chat about whatever is going on: the crazy stories we read, the wacky vendors we work with. It's only natural that same-sex marriages came up. I told her that I had had a brief thought this morning that what Christians are trying to do by banning same-sex marriage won't be the obliteration of homosexuality. Those people will still be sinning against God regardless of whether or not they can marry. I can understand the desire to not sanction these things, and the article I referred to above further discusses how religious freedom may be inhibited by equal rights. My coworker, a non-believer, says she had a hard time with religious people when Catholic priests are participating in what some of them have been and are being protected by other priests. I can't argue with that. I know that sinners need a savior, that's what we believe. For some reason, though, I'm not able to vocalize that in a way that I feel truly holds up The Word. I feel that it would fall flat.

Then again, I know I'm not in the business to convert anybody. I don't have the right qualifications, like, dying on the cross to pay the debt for sinners. We prayed last night the God would provide us opportunities in everyday situations to be a witness, and that he'd give us the words to say. I feel like I blew my opportunity today. How can we, sinful by nature, strike a balance between truth and grace when talking to non-Christians? D and I were very convicted this past Sunday sitting in our new church. We were bought at a price. We are not our own. We are either the property of Christ, or property of Satan and lead man-pleasing lives. I just pray that if I am afforded an opportunity again, I will not cower from a fear of saying things that will not be pleasing to other's ears.

Life was not promised to be easy for true believers. I am thankful for the challenges we are given in our current time. I hope that all believers will be given the strength and the wisdom to stay rooted and share God's Word, even when it's not comfortable.

So...

... I thought it was phase. In the whirlwind four months tween engagement and wedding, I had spent an unquantifiable amount of time watching the Wedding Channel (a.k.a. Style). Bridezilla, Platinum Weddings, and (really?) Whose Wedding is it Anyway? It wasn't so much about looking for ideas (I wasn't crazy enough to think I could turn the High Desert into the Manhattan skyline), but more about building on my anticipation for this one swell day in January.
Now, going on episode 5 of the Whose Wedding is it Anyway? marathon, I've come to an unbiased conclusion:
Our wedding was aweseome.
We were so blessed that our biggest concern was figuring out how to keep our centerpieces together; our biggest fight was trying to understand why getting garlic bread on the tables before dinner would require an act of Congress (and, like in Congress, no action happened).
Anyway, I was emotionally charged and decided to post some of my favorite wedding pictures.

A past-time that's actually worth the time..

Thanks to Diapers for Three, I happened upon this awesome "activity" (can't say game, work time).

You should happen on it too.

Tonight is the Night

More suspenseful than any game 7, the Air Guitar Championships are kicking off their U.S. Round tonight in Washington, D.C. All contestants are competing for a chance to show their gift at the World Championship in, where else could it possibly be, Finland.

Don't bother trying to rush home to set the DVR, this championship is not televised. Call the cable company, write to your congressman, and text message your mom. Something must be done to end the censorship of the next, great Olympic event.

And remember: Make air, not war.

Church Discipline vs. "Communion as a Weapon"

I just read this article and am interested to see what other Christians think about it. In case you can't stand to leave our blog, I'll give you a quick summary: Douglas Kmiec, a former Justice Deparmenter turned private university professor, was refused communion at his church for endorsing Barack Obama, who's running on a pro-choice platform. The article mentions that there are politicians that have also been refused communion at their respective churches for the same reason, but that Kmiec's situation is quite unique because he's no longer a public figure, but a citizen.
My gut tells me that it doesn't really make a difference. I can only say what is true for my family and, if it falls short of God's truth revealed in His word, I hope that my favorite, more Biblically-educated readers will not hesitate to hold me accountable. As a Christian, I vote my conscience. To me, life issues would seem to outweigh any other political issue currently being discussed and would, therefore, sway my vote for a presidential candidate. However, I've learned that every issue out there is a Christian issue.
In our house, there's an on-going discussion about taxes. One of us feels that a flat tax is the most equitable option that doesn't punish the people who work hard for their money, and the other feels that a flat tax would hurt the poorer people by taking a bigger chunk of their pie. There is a Biblical context for these issues regarding our responsibilities with the gifts that God has entrusted to us. Healthcare. Plans are being crafted to enlist the United States to pick up every man beaten on the road, throw them on the back of her horse, and take them to a place to be taken care of. Yes, an exaggerated allusion, but you see the direction it's going (side note: if a boat and a car is a 'she', does the same rule apply to a country? Discuss).

So how do you decide which issues outweigh the others in the matter of moral importance? Boundless.org started a good discussion last month about finding a balance between truth and grace. Unfortunately, I can't find the article now, but one of its main points was that, in the end, all will be judged. I think that's also referenced in some other writing (i.e. John 12:48). So some folks use this when they argue that abortion should not be a governmental issue.

So I throw up my hands to my brothers and sisters in Christ. No candidate will hold 100% of the beliefs that my family has written on our hearts, so how do you decide what your conscience can live with and what it can't?

Note to self: add "discernment and guidance to all peoples" to prayer list.